K-ON! PV Outfit figures

K-ON! has been one of those series that one gets obsessed about. For me I heard about the series in passing but never checked it out. It wasn't until i won the PV Yui figure from a UFO catcher, posted my winnings on twitter and then had people chime in how awesome the show…

Rilakkuma 7th anniversary Bento

We recently had a chance to play a new demo of Mafia II–an open-world action game set against the backdrop of organized crime families vying for power in the 1950s. At the beginning of the demo, we saw Vito Scaletta–the game’s lead character–inside of his home just as he receives…

Evangelion Movie figure UFO GETO!

The gameplay mechanics for Rising were made known initially at E3 2010, and are based around a concept known as “zan-datsu”, literally “cut and take.” Matsumaya and Kimura explained in Konami’s press conference that the “take” part revolves around Raiden literally taking power from enemies, a concept shown in the…

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Recently I had the amazing pleasure of meeting a talented artist, Shizuko Kuwabara all by chance. I was heading to my ward office to update my address information when after i stopped by to look at the art. She came up to me and started speaking Japanese but then quickly used a mix of English and random Spanish words. I thought she was the cutest thing ever! We proceeded to chat about art for over the next hour. She said she started doing this art when she was introduced to it by her then children's teacher about 35 years ago and has been taking classes with him till this day.

I find her lines have so much energy and precisions, all just using a piece of cane wood and black ink. She uses a mix of Japanese rice paper (washi) and foreign water color paper. She says most of her pieces take about 2 days on the average and she works on them on the floor, not an easel.

She wants me to keep in touch, but she doesn't use a cell phone, nor does she know how to write an e-mail (even though her son is a computer programmer). A few days after our meeting i received a post card from her which made my heart melt. I haven't received a hand written anything in i dont know how long!

As I'm writing this I'm recovering from the past few days of food poisoning! YAY! I hope to call her this coming weekend to possibly meet again to chat.

Mister Donut Japan is celebrating its 40th anniversary by brining back many of its popular special donuts from the past four decades. Morinaga & Company, Ltd. has been producing confectionaries since 1899 and is also promoting the 40th anniversary of its Koeda 小枝 chocolate stick. One of the Mister Donut’s retro flavors is the Golden Chocolate donut, which debuted in 1971. Together they are releasing a collaboration of its Golden Chocolate’s crunchy topping and mixing it with the Koeda chocolate stick as a double 40th anniversary limited edition. This product stands out from most of Mister Donut anniversary products because of its non-availability through its donut chain stores. This product is available in the general consumer mass market and is displayed at many POS and aisle end caps.

For the 40th Anniversary of Mister Donut, the company held a special promotion for the public at Yurakucho in Tokyo. The event showcased its history in Japan with its line of Uniforms on display. Along side of them were cut outs of the vintage uniforms where you could pop your head in for a photo and little laugh. A give-a-way pavilion was also set up displaying many of its MisuDo point card gifts, from each of the last 4 decades.

After a photo opportunity with the Mister Donut mascot, Pon De Lion, video rolled for the Mister Donut commercials of the past few decades. The crowd gave a collected “Ahh” when the famous spokesman George Tokoro came on screen. Tokoro is famous for being a comedian, singer and actor, but is known for being the commercial spokesman for Mister Donut from 1986-2001. Tokoro has probably become synonymous with Mister Donut because of his long standing as the spokesman. Mister Donut has brought back Tokoro for its anniversary event, reprising his role as a Manager of a Mister Donut for the commercial campaign.

A highlight of the event was for the lucky first 2,000 show attendees of the day, to get a free German Chocolate donut. Lucky? Free items, without a previous purchase, are not as common as it is in the States. A free no strings attached item is a nice change in Japan.

What is Café Andonand?

While Mister Donut is celebrating its 40th Anniversary in Japan, Mister Donut and its parent company Duskin have made a slow quiet entrance with its high-end donut café, Café Andonand which opened its first location in 2007 and just opening its latest location in the Chuo Ward.

With just a handful of locations, 4 in Tokyo and 3 covering the rest of Japan, it is a surprise to know that it even exists. Given the vast amounts of Mister Donut locations, Café Andonand has crafted a balance of the sweet and tasteful. Offering higher quality and specialty flavors like “Blueberry Cheese” and “Chocolate Cranberry” at 180-430 yen a pop; it is something better worth the experience. Café Andonand’s donut styling seems to be up to par in direct competition with the NY Donut plant, but offering full sit down relaxing environments, rather than the train stations buy-n-go style.

For those who had the chance to visit the Mister Donut Anniversary event, may have only just heard of Café Andonand when on their way out of the venue. With a small booth selling a 4-pack sample set for 1,000 yen, it was a chance to taste the relatively unknown brand to the loyal customers of Mister Donut. For the anniversary event, this small booth was probably the single best marketing promotion that was done for the Duskin brands in expanding its high-end donut brand.

You might have seen a previous post i have done about the Rilakkuma Halloween candy buckets. Going to the game center, I had to wait while another person failed at getting one, so my BF and I played another catcher. My BF tried winning this pan first. He moved it good in two moves, but then got stuck and wasted a lot of money on it, and still couldn't get it. I told him to step aside, I popped in 200yen and GET!

Rilakkuma is celebrating the 7th anniversary this year, and they keep cranking out so many prices for the Game centers. While I love Rilakkuma, i would like to see more new characters released into the UFO catchers.

In Kichijoji, the former LON LON shopping mall has now re-opened as the lavish Atré. Brick styled walls, and faux flickering candle like light bulbs, it is a very big step up from its previous incarnation. There were many new additions to the store lineups but I am happy to say my favorite sandwich shop has come back! Meruhen Sandwhich House [Mächen] has returned to the same spot, and for its re-opening they were offering a sweet lunch bag deal. Purchase the 3 sandwich set, which included a katsu sandwich, egg salad sandwich and a oranges & whip cream dessert sandwich. Also you get the bear bag for free. For the bag they had about 5 options between black/white, black/pink & tan/brown color combinations. I chose the more earth colored one. I love the branding of the bear on everything, with his content smile eating up that sandwich. The bear is even on the ice pack that they give every time you buy sandwiches.

These apples are amazing! So juicy and delicious, but expensive as hell! Regular price for one of these is 358yen! But are they worth it, I say yes. If you notice, they are all individually wrapped and surrounded with a protective foam. What makes them even better is when they are on sale! They were Half price this day i took the picture, and they had only 4 left! So i picked them all up.

For living in japan on a budget, food is the #1 thing that will drain you of your money from every day life. If you are like me, and have a very limited Japanese vocabulary and even more limited view of Kanji recognition, then i suggest this one kanji you learn. Its the kanji for "Half" or "Han" "はん, 半. You will see these stickers on many food items, usually in the evening starting around 8pm. Discount stickers range from 3% and on up, using the roman numerals, but many use the "Han" half price kanji for the 50% marker.

So when visiting, or living in japan on a budget, look for these symbols, and be assured you will have more free money to play UFO catchers like I do!

Not only does it have an tight seal, its beautiful to look at! Yes this plastic box should be on display in your home for all to admire. Maybe some classy museum lighting to show off its beautiful edges, yes?